1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic steering system for a vehicle, which is used for garaging the vehicle without recourse to steering by a driver.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic steering systems for garaging a vehicle are known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 3-74256 and No. 4-55168. The automatic steering systems for vehicles utilize an actuator for a conventionally well-known electrical power steering device, and are designed so that the back parking and the linear parking are automatically performed by controlling the actuator based on the relationship between a distance of movement of the vehicle and a steering angle which have been previously stored.
In the prior art system, when the driver has operated a steering wheel with a torque equal to or larger than a predetermined value, and when the vehicle speed has been increased to or above a predetermined value, or when a switch has been turned OFF, the automatic parking control is canceled. A vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission is garaged utilizing a creep force and hence, even if the automatic parking control is canceled, for example, to keep away from an obstacle, the vehicle continues to travel. In this case, to avoid contact of the vehicle with the obstacle, it is necessary to immediately operate a brake to stop the vehicle. If the stopping of the vehicle is delayed after canceling the automatic parking control, the position of the vehicle is deviated from the previously stored intrinsic locus of movement of the vehicle and as a result, the subsequent re-execution of a garaging operation is complicated.